The wireless network cloud (WNC) is a new paradigm for building the next generation of mobile/cellular communications networks by utilizing cost efficient processing in a cloud architecture with software defined radios.
Traditional cellular networks consist of fixed base stations that employ custom-built hardware and software to process wireless signals, which then connect back to the Internet/PSTN (public switched telephone network). With the exponential growth in demand for wireless services, a main drawback with the traditional design is the significant capital investment in scaling the network and in installing, maintaining and upgrading base stations and other custom-built wireless equipment as the wireless standards evolve over time.
Alternatively, in a wireless network cloud architecture, the base stations are replaced with much less expensive remote radio heads (RRHs) which convert wireless waveforms into digital signals, which are then processed in a back-end cloud infrastructure. By exploiting the highly cost efficient processing in a cloud (e.g., dynamic resource provisioning, virtualization, statistical multiplexing, commodity hardware, and collaborative signal processing), a wireless network cloud architecture provides a cost effective way to build scalable next generation cellular networks.